Hamas returns remains of two more hostages but says more time needed to reach others

BBC:

Hamas says it has handed over the bodies of two more Israeli hostages under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire deal, but says it needs time and specialised equipment to recover the rest of the deceased from the ruins of Gaza.

The group’s armed wing said in a statement it was committed to the deal but had returned all the bodies of hostages it was able to reach.

US President Donald Trump has said Israeli forces could resume fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not uphold the agreement.

In a statement, the Israeli PM’s office said Israel had received – through the Red Cross – coffins containing the bodies of hostages which were now awaiting official identification.

“The IDF urges the public to act with sensitivity and wait for official identification, which will first be communicated to the families of the deceased hostages,” the statement said.

Senior US advisors providing an update on the implementation of the 20-point peace plan said that the US government did not so far believe Hamas had broken the agreement by not retrieving the remains of remaining deceased hostages.

The advisors argued that Hamas had acted in good faith by returning the live hostages and was working with various interlocutors to find and return the remains of hostages.

If the two bodies returned on Wednesday night are confirmed to be hostages, that would mean 19 are still unaccounted for in Gaza. Hamas is required to return all 28 dead hostages as part of the first phase of the Gaza peace plan.

But Hamas’s armed wing said in a statement “the remaining bodies require significant efforts and specialised equipment to search for and retrieve, and we are making a great effort to close this file”.

Earlier, Israel said it would “not compromise” on hostage returns, saying “the mission is not complete”.

Israel’s defence minister said he had instructed the IDF to prepare a “comprehensive plan” to defeat Hamas in Gaza in the event of a renewal of the war.

After meeting senior generals on Wednesday, Israel Katz said the military must be prepared to act if Hamas refuses to implement the peace plan.

The latest repatriations came after Israel said one of four bodies returned by Hamas on Tuesday was not one of the missing hostages.

The other three deceased were identified as Tamir Nimrodi, 20, Eitan Levy, 53, and Uriel Baruch, 35, the Hostages Families Forum said.